The Misanthrope

Chapter 3

xXx

During the next two weeks, Eren had helped Levi with picking apples, weeding the garden and moving the plants into the barn for the winter. The time they've spent together was mostly in silence, with an occasional instruction where to move what.

As days went by, Eren noticed that Levi hadn't been only tolerating him anymore. He'd initiate short conversations, ask Eren how he did in school. Levi even insisted on giving him half of the apples they've picked. The first time, Eren had said 'no' out of pure politeness, which had earned him the silent treatment for the remainder of the day. When Levi offered again before sending him home that day, Eren accepted with a wide smile. He of course, returned with a fresh apple pie for Levi the next day.

He couldn't be certain after only two weeks of actually knowing the man, but Eren had a strong feeling that underneath that grouchy mask Levi was actually a kind and caring person. If only he could find out what had made Levi so closed off.

xXx

It was a cloudy day and Eren hurried from school to arrive at Levi's before it would start to rain. The only thing left to do in the garden was to wrap up the young trees in hessian for the winter. Eren had no idea what he'd do after that, but he was thinking really hard to find an excuse to keep hanging out with Levi.

As he arrived, he found Levi already in the garden, preparing the cloths and dried leaves. As per usual for his garden-work, he was wearing a thin, long-sleeved white shirt and black trousers, making Eren wonder how he wasn't feeling cold, with chilly late-October wind blowing.

"Hi!" Eren greeted, letting himself inside the garden. He put his backpack aside, on the porch stairs and joined Levi's side.

"Hey kid," Levi acknowledged him.

"We better hurry up, it's gonna rain soon," Eren said, trying to tuck his hair behind his ears as the wind blew against his back.

"My thinking exactly," Levi murmured and motioned for Eren to come closer.

He explained how they're going to work and showed Eren how to wrap up a tree tight enough so it holds, but loose enough for leaves to create a good thermal isolation. The teen was picking up those things fast enough and Levi seemed pleased by that.

Soon, the rain did start, but Eren wouldn't even dream of complaining. There were only two trees left and he knew that Levi wasn't going to stop at that point. It was cold and uncomfortable even through his jacket, so it must have been really bad for Levi since his shirt got soaked, revealing the contours of his torso. Eren hurried up with his tree, running up to Levi's once he was done.

"I should run home," Eren concluded a few minutes later, once they were done.

"Are you nuts? Come inside and wait it out."

"In-inside?"

Levi had never invited him inside his house before that. Eren had never even seen the inside from the outside, since Levi always shut the door behind him, as if hiding. Speaking of which, the man didn't seem too thrilled with the invitation but he'd offered it to Eren nonetheless. And at the moment, he was watching him with that bored 'you're an idiot' look.

"Yes inside. What did you think? That I'd let you home soaked and cold? And then I'd have to answer to your mother when you'd caught pneumonia."

"That would be inconvenient, right?" Eren teased.

"Terribly," Levi smirked, already grabbing Eren's backpack from his steps. He opened the door and waited for Eren to enter.

The boy looked around. The kitchen, dining and living area formed a large, open space. Looking to his right, there was a big fireplace against the wall that was closest to the street. In front of it were a sofa and two armchairs, a small table and a fur rug. On the opposite side of the room was a wood-burning stove, surrounded with a few kitchen elements and a sink with running water. In the middle of the room was a dining table for six.

Eren wondered if Levi ever had five guests to fill those seats. He took a step further inside and on his left, saw stairs and two doors. The place was twice the size of Eren's home.

"Move, you're dripping," Levi's voice startled him.

"Oh! Right!" Eren took a step towards the dining table but was suddenly stopped, Levi grabbing the back of his jacket collar.

"Shoes. Off."

Eren grinned apologetically and toed his shoes off, putting them neatly by the front door next to Levi's. There was a loud crack of thunder, making him wince.

"I hope it ends soon..."

"What, you're so uncomfortable being here?" Levi asked sternly.

"N-no! I just, ah, I just meant that I wouldn't want to bother you for too long," Eren fought with words, blushing furiously.

"Relax, I'm just teasing you," Levi did that thing again. He smirked. "I'm kind of used to you bugging me every day."

Was that Levi's way of saying that he's welcome to stay?

Eren was ushered towards the fireplace and Levi took only a short time to have the fire burning. He pulled a drying rack from the corner and pushed it closer to the fireplace. Levi peeled his shirt off, putting it neatly over the rack and then looked at Eren expectantly.

Eren stared, suddenly very self-conscious about getting his own shirt off. While he was thin and quite decently built for a fifteen-year-old boy, seeing Levi's ripped body made him feel like a weakling. Arms, shoulders, pectorals... Abs? Compared to his flat stomach with muscles visible only if he flexed really hard, Levi had an eight-pack, just like that, standing there calmly and looking back at Eren.

And then he'd noticed, on Levi's left side, under the ribcage and disappearing lower beneath his trousers – a scar. Or, to be exact, several scars that seemed to meld together. Eren's jaw dropped as he realized those were teeth marks. Huge teeth marks.

"Staring is rude, you know," Levi informed silently. He didn't seem pissed, but wasn't pleased either.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," Eren quickly averted his eyes. "I-I didn't mean to..."

"Just give me your jacket and shirt."

Eren hastily took them off and handed them to Levi. He crossed his arms over his stomach, hunching over a bit. As Levi turned while folding his clothes to dry, Eren saw that the teeth mark scar was present on his back as well. It seemed that a Titan actually had him between its teeth. But how in the world did he manage to escape?

Noticing the stare again, Levi glared at him and walked towards the corner where the stairs and two doors were. He went into the room closer to the stairs and returned shortly after, changed into another pair of trousers and a new shirt, very similar to the one he wore outside. He was also holding another fresh shirt and a towel that he tossed to Eren.

"Wear this for now and dry your hair. Are you cold?"

"Thanks... A bit, yeah..." Eren quickly dressed. He had plenty of space for his torso, only the sleeves were slightly too short, and his lower stomach would be bare if he raised his arms.

"Where's your youth? ... He's cold," Levi muttered, but Eren could see he was joking, obviously wishing to avoid questions about the scar.

"I left it outside in the mud," the teen smiled, drying his hair with vigorous motions.

"We'll look for it later," Levi snorted. "Go sit by the fire and I'll make some tea."

"Thank you," Eren murmured softly. He was really embarrassed, about the staring and about the other man's physique. He sat down cross-legged on the fur rug, and put his hands in front of the fire, to warm up. The rug was soft and he squirmed, making himself more comfortable, one hand lowering into the fur and petting it absentmindedly while waiting for the tea.

"You're such a kid," Levi scoffed, seeing him on the floor.

"I'm not!" Eren protested, sitting straight up even as his hand remained on the silky fur.

"I was already in the Scouting Legion when I was your age," Levi said, putting two cups of tea on the small table. He dropped carelessly onto the sofa and crossed his legs, smirking at Eren.

That was the first time Levi had ever spoke about his past.

"Well, I would be too, if it still existed!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah! I've heard so many stories about Scouting Legion when I was a kid... I've always wanted to become a part of it, but now..." Eren sighed.

"You're not missing out on anything, kid. Believe me, you're luckier this way."

"But the freedom! And protecting the people!"

"And death, despair and more death," Levi added quietly.

Eren studied him silently. His mind was bursting with questions but he knew that it wouldn't be okay to ask them just yet. He turned to watch the fire and they both sipped tea in silence for some time.

"Hey, Levi?" Eren broke the silence.

"Hm."

"How old are you?"

"I'm thirty-two."

"You don't look thirty-two."

"Is that a compliment?"

The teen blinked. "Uh, I guess?"

"Shut up and drink your goddamn tea," Levi grumbled, bringing the cup to his mouth.

Eren saw a smile hidden behind the cup.

xXx

To be continued...